Fitness Books

I'm at something of a loss as to what to say about this book. I couldn't decide if I should give it five stars or one, so I cut the difference and gave it three. This book is bizarre. If you can wade through the sections of repetitive, juvenile, slang-ridden, poorly written diatribe there is a lot of very helpful medical information which every endometriosis sufferer should know. I learned so many useful and helpful things about reproductive endocrinology, the immune system, the digestive system, and endometriosis itself. Yet the authors could easily have gotten the same amount of information into the book using half the words. Some parts of this book are clearly and concisely written and very helpful, while other sections of the book read as if the authors wanted to make the details understandable to a five-year old. I was definitely annoyed and somewhat insulted, as I think the authors ought to assume that the people reading it are going to be adults with functioning brains. However, I cannot help but recommend this book. The information in there is good, if you can put up with the useless junk and find information in the midst of verbosity.

After three years of infertility due to endometriosis, we had given up hope. After eight months on this diet we were expecting our first child with no medical intervention. Even if you aren't trying to conceive, this diet DOES help you feel a lot better.

As a stage IV endometriosis sufferer, the diet recommendations dramatically alleviated menstrual cramps and especially bowel pressure and pain through the removal of wheat/wheat gluten, minimizing red meats, and maximizing vegetables, fruits and nuts. I found that starting this diet within a few months post-laparoscopy was most helpful.

I've been reading this book since before I had surgery last week and am going to give the diet a try. The explanations of unbalanced hormones and lack of certain vitamins/minerals causing my symptoms and horrific PMS make alot of sense. I dropped out of biology in college because it seemed to be over my head, but this book explained body chemistry and cell production in a way that I can relate. Through the nutritional advice in this book, I am hoping to get pregnant and not have to have surgery again.

This book is written in a friendly and easy to read manner. It has a lot of information to absorb, but is what every woman with Endo should know. If you want to learn more and want to follow the guidelines provided then I strongly recommend this book. In only three months my life has changed. I understand my body like never before and am excited that following the suggestions in this book will lead me to my dream - pregnancy. After having purchased numerous books on Endo, it was nice to have one that finally answered my questions and was enjoyable.

The material is very easy to understand and the oil recipies work extremelly well. I use the book weekly with my children and for myself.

This book is essential for anyone using Young living essential oils. There is a bounty of information about its use and just knowledge of health in general.

I find this book very useful when I am looking answers about using essential oils. There is everything in here for health and feelings of well being and also information concerning pets. I would recommend this book.

I love this book. It is my favorite reference book to refer to for all my health and wellness needs. I have referred many of my friends and clients to this desk reference. It is Super !! Diane

This book is full of scientific information on the purity of essential oils and how to tell the difference between adulterated oils and pure therapeutic grade oils. It teaches the use of Young Living essential oils as following the French model of usage being that of ingestion, topical application and inhalation. Very safe guidelines for safe usage are well detailed so that anyone can teach themselves how to use them. This book covers subjects such as single oil data, oil blends, dietary supplements containing pure essential oils, the health benefits of Ningxia Red wolfberry juice, cleansing the body, hormonal balance, Raindrop massage technique, and there is a comprehensive section from A to Z on almost every health problem and how to use Young Living essential oils to help with these.

It is well written and claims are backed by research studies. I do not believe it would be wise to apply the information in this book to the use of oils other than Young Living's essential oils for reasons which will become obvious when studying the opening chapters about the importance of purity. This book should be used by all those who want nothing but the best information on how to use pure essential oils for complete health of mind and body.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2YKHSV7PL40Y9 Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training

Learn the right forms for power lifting and weightlifting so you don't injure yourself when lifting. Even a 75-year-old woman will find this reference guide a useful fitness tool.

What I liked: coverage of the different types of weight training (power lifting, body building, etc.), great description of body shortcomings (too stiff, weak arms, shoulders) and possible remedies, form for different lifts, interesting Egyptian history and training methods over time (40+ yrs), Q&A section

What I didn't like: 1st edition binding unraveling, small print, overwhelming size of information, sometimes dry writing style

Who should buy this? those looking beyond the basics and wanting something more integrative & descriptive approach - whole body lifting

Although I am currently not in the best of shape, at one time I worked as a personal trainer and by education I was trained as a research scientist. I have graduate education in both physiology and biochemistry and have worked with some high end athletes including one Olympic level powerlifter. Currently, I am looking to use strength training again myself because I was sidelined for a number of years by a back and neck injury, this is the context for my interview.

The first thing I would like to say is that I own and have bought many books on strength training and most of them are not even in the same category as this book. Of the books that are out there, most of them say the same thing in different ways, make unsubstantiated claims or set unrealistic expectations. In short, this book is a welcome exception. It is well-organized, detailed, thorough, well-written and dense with valuable material.

A lot of the focus here is on training for powerlifting. However, it's also a great strength training text with lots of references. The scope of the book is ambitious and covers the proper way to perform important exercises, information about periodization, explanations of how different types of programs affect the body, the importance of coordination, etc.

In addition, this title has many useful diagrams, training ideas and references to actual studies. The information in it is very credible and much more than one person's opinion. I was also extremely impressed with the detailed descriptions of how each exercise works, the anatomy involved and the sections on physiology.

One might assume that a book like this would read like a text book in accounting or calculus (not that there is anything wrong with either of these subjects).... However, it sometimes difficult to be technically precise and at the same time engaging to the reader. On this account, Dr. El-Hewie has certainly succeeded.

Although this book is quite expensive, it covers a TREMENDOUS amount of ground in a reasonable space. It was clearly a labor of love and it is well worth every cent. Rather than wasting money on more of the same, I recommend getting a few good books. This is one I would NOT like to be without.

Another book that I saw recently for hard-gainers had a lot of good content in terms of building mass. I think it fell down a bit in the nutrition/supplement area, but it is much less expensive than this and covers a subset of this material that is most important to training properly for mass. This book is called From Scrawny to Brawny. There are a FEW other books I saw that I thought were quite good and I will be reviewing them in the near future. I will most likely be reviewing the ones I thought were quite bad as well.

Lastly, this book covers lots of nuances like nervous system adaptation, relationships between strength, mass and power. The importance of coordination and how to plan a path forward depending upon your goals. It's really one stop shopping for an athletic approach to strength training vs. bodybuilding. Bodybuilders will find a lot of great material here, but this is NOT the emphasis of this particular book.

The descriptions of the reviewers: Slavisa Nesic and Larry Wagner "Athlete, Analyst, Coach, Dad" in this list do an excellent review and detailed description of the book. I just wanted to add my voice, as a woman, that I found his book incredibly useful too.

As is stated, the emphasis of El Howie's book is on weight-lifting and power-lifting (which focuses more on strength) as compared with Bodybuilding (to get those shapely muscles that make our stomach flat and the rest of us curvaceous.) Women in general want to look great in a bikini and the Bodybuilding orientation is the way to go.

But he gives enough coverage to Body-building and nevertheless, he is meticulous about form.

The other two books I have liked in conjunction with this is Delavier's Strength Anatomy and his Women's Strength Training Anatomy (I recommend getting both whether you are male or female.) Those books give you very clear basics for form, lots of detailed diagrams and so forth. El Howie's book is extremely comprehensive.

There are various debates as to how often to work out, whether you should focus on just parts of the body each day at a time or workout the whole body in each session. There are also differences of opinion as to best plan your meals, whether and when you should do cardio in conjunction with the weight-lifting. It would be useful, if you are a first-timer, to go for Body for Life or some other program that involves lifting weights. At bottom, in my experience, how one comes out on the various debates invariable is what works best for them, whether physiologically, psychologically or schedule wise.

I just want to say to any woman reading this, if you don't already know, you will never get back or achieve that girlish figure if you don't lift weights and lift heavy weights. And you can no matter what you age.

Though I do not want to provide a link on an Amazon post, if you google John Stone 42 the first link that comes up should be "Fit Women over 42- 89 on parade." If you go to that link you will find tons of stories with pictures of women going through fantastic transformations starting at age 50, 60 and older. Don't ever believe you are "too old" or "too out of shape" to achieve this.

And El-Howie's book is a great reference for getting form down correctly to get the best results and not injure yourself.

The first edition of "Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy" was recommended to us some ten years ago and we decided to update to the 5th Edition. This volume contains nearly 50% more information on the advances in detection, treatment and prognoses of the various types of cancer. Not being a physician, I have found that the references are easily read and understandable. It provides insight on prevention and treatment.

Great strides are being made and this book gives inspiration and hope that our doctors will continue to attack cancer in all forms.

I recommend this reference book to all who want an authoritative source to understand the types and stages of most common cancers.


Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy; Revised 5th Edition: How Cancer Is Diagnosed, Treated, and Managed Day to Day (Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy)

Higly recommend. Great to have around so when you have questions this book will answer them, as we often have questions when a doctor is not around to answer them. Sometimes we may may not want to ask a question well this book lets you find your answers in the privacy of you home. I had 2 previos versions and I preordered this one as the others were very useful and this one has been also.

While working in a very large private hospital in Omaha, I worked in Radiation Oncology. Finding myself alone, without a nurse to teach me how to teach my patients, a friend suggested this book. I purchased it, devoured it and put the information to use, teaching my patients about treatment protocols, systems involved in their treatment process, in terms that they could understand. I recommended this book to many of them, they always returned to thank me for suggesting the book. CC

It is a wealth of information - that every person diagnosed with any type of cancer can benefit from. Having had 2 bouts with breast cancer, I have bought many books. This one is the best resource book I have found. I have loaned it out many times and everyone is thankful for the information.

It is written in an easy style, such that an average person can understand the language. It presents many questions for the patient & family to ask doctors, along with the many options available.

I highly recommend this for anyone who needs any type of information about cancer and it's treatments.

This book is a one stop guide to so many things involving therapies that it is hard to know where to start. Cancer nurses feel this is the best consumer book out there. Information is in plain English, simple terms, with lots of illustrations. Tons of referrals to agencies that may be helpful.

Good advice on beauty tips and such in this book. Its pretty ordianry but still insightful and it will deff. come in handy in the near future.

I first saw this book and immediately thought it was just another beauty book that tells me information I already know. However, upon second glance I picked up the book and started to skim the pages. I was surprised to see that it actually has useful info inside.

The makeup section is a bit basic, don't expect to be wowed by how instantly beautiful you look by changing the way you apply mascara. It does, however, have extremely helpful tips if you are in a beauty disaster or just have something nagging you. Overall, It was worth the money and definitely opened my eyes to some new techniques!

I am only about ten pages into this little tome, but it is already packing in the valuable (and usable!) tips and bits. Not your typical "fashion editor's fluff". Highly recommend!

I bought this for my 12 yr old daughter and she loves it she has tried several recommendations from the book for acne and other beauty issues and find them fun easy and quick to do it makes her feel prettier outside as she feels inside

Es justo el libro que toda mujer necesita, tanto para aquellas que no saben de maquillaje y belleza, como las que estan algo informadas. Porque definitivamente el libro te muestra múltiples fórmulas no solo para belleza sino también para resolver problemas del diario vivir. Como por ejemplo para manejar el estrés, para el cuidado de los niños, para las mujeres adolescentes o aquellas embarazadas. El libro está sumamente completo, es una lectura ligera pero a la vez super interesante e informativa. Lo recomiendo sin duda alguna!!

I'm not typically a fan of the "categorization" approach to understanding, they tend to be overgeneralized and unspecific. That is the approach this book takes. The assessments let you understand what areas of behavior you should emphasize on - based on your tendencies for self abuse.

Basically it outlines 6 weight gain triggers:

1. Lack Of Structured Meals
2. Toxic Food Choices
3. Portion Distortion
4. Sedentary Lifestyle
5. No Regular Exercise
6. Stress

And certain "Phenotypes" lean toward certain behaviors that cause you to gain weight. The assessments are to identify your particular leanings.

An okay approach, but I didn't find it highly motivating or insightful.

I did find some information very helpful. The fact that some body chemistry types don't process pleasure signals properly. Thus, in order to get the sensation of pleasure from food, these types tend to overload their systems to get pleasure to trigger. This intellectual understanding is very helpful and does provide a reasoning behind waiting a bit for those pleasure signals to make it through before continuing on a binge.

In the end though, the basics of eating well, having an active and energized life will get you where you want to be. The book was okay, not sure it was worth the entire read but some information was useful.

I have to say that I am a diet novice so I do not have much to compare it to. That said, I love this book! When I was really frustrated about losing my post-pregnancy weight, this helped me tremendously and I never actually "dieted." It helped me to identify in which areas I needed to improve and gave me great suggestions on minor dietary changes that made a huge difference. For example, since my type is hormonal, eating more low-fat dairy (which was really easy for me) was all I needed to do and I started to see/feel improvements immediately. I really liked what an easy read it was, too. . .determine what your type is, read that section and you're off! The only thing that I do not like about it is the title; it sounds so hokey and I find myself wanting to pass it on/tell others about it but I am hesitant because of the title.

If you have a history of alcoholism or drug addiction, or binge eating, take a look at the Phenotype A food plan. Genetically, Phenotype A people may have low levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine or serotonin. Their "feel-good" genes don't work, leading them to alleviate their "lows" in some other way.

I have found this food plan really helpful because it doesn't feel restrictive. It balances out the protein/carb/fat ratio and tells you exactly what types of food to eat and when. It suggests certain supplements for depression. Rather than being a short-term weight loss diet, it is a long-term food plan designed to alleviate cravings and mood swings. It pretty much follows a hypoglycemic diet, except for the caffeine. (For info on the link between hypoglycemia and alcoholism, see the Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.)

This book is the best thing that has ever happened to me!! It is short, simple and to the point. The Doctors outline exactly what you should be eating according to your phenotype and also help you recognize what triggers your weight gain and how to combat it! If you are ready to make a change in your life, this is the book to help you do it.

By following the plan in this book, I have lost a total of 22 pounds (so far) and improved my health, mood and energy level.

Finally, a book that offers help, not hype, in dealing with weight loss and health. Grounded in the most advanced science of today (genetics), but easy to read and understand even by me. I was ready to give up thinking I would never lose weight and be able to keep it off. Everyone with a weight problem, no matter what the cause, needs this book.

This is what I thought Secrets of a former fat girl would be from
all the good reviews. This is a much better book in that the author
shares her story AND...unlike lisa delany's book tells you how she
did it. Bravo Kim!

It really doesn't. This book tells how much easier it can be once you set you mind to it. It's mostly willpower and sticking to a plan. This is as good as any of the others out there.

To the author of this book, I just want to say a big thank you for being so honest with us.

I bought into the low carb craze, starting with a popular food combining plan, then to Atkins. I know these plans work for some, but not for me. I started suffering from severe fatigue, chronic mood swings that were hard to control (this from being so darn tired all the time), never lost weight, but what was my breaking point was when I started having irregular heart beats, my arms would tingle and go numb, my hands would swell and icth (that, and being on bi-polar meds when I knew something else was wrong). Turns out I was reacting to Splenda. I thought I was having heart attacks! Scared me to death! Then I realized, how do you low carb if you can't use sugar subs, when the whole point of the diet is to be sugar free. Well, a light bulb went off and something clicked. We think low fat diets are bad because they emphasise replacing fat with sugars and chemically enhanced foods, so low carbers won't touch low fat stuff because of the hidden sugars and chemicals, yet they will eat low carb stuff with chemical sweeteners, this makes no sense!
At that point, now that I will never touch a artificial sweetener in my life, I needed to learn how to balance foods so I can eat real foods, including fat and sugar, to be healthy and lose weight, and this book did that for me. It makes so much sense. It is hard to learn portion control, to eat only when hungry and to stop when full, not stuffed, but everyday it gets easier and easier. I do make good choices over bad (whole grains over processed, fruit over desserts, etc, but now that I eat from all food groups, I get full with less food, something I never experienced with low carb.

Its nice to be free of the "diets". All the money spent on diet cookbooks and special ingredients never did anything for me, but taking the advice of this book has done a lot, and it cost me nothing more than the cover price. No specialty ingredients, no plan to follow or lists of foods I can eat or need to avoid, just good old fashioned common sense.

Thank you!!! I wish more people could read this book. Especially all those suffering from 1 diet to the next.
And by the way, since I have stopped doing low carb and eat like a real person, no more mood swings. Gone, all of them, and no more fatigue! I'm able to work out daily now and live my life, something that seemed so out of reach just 2 months ago.

The thing I liked about this book was that it wasn't just about losing weight, it had lots of social commentary--my favorite being the whole "it's genetics" routine. The author really hits upon some major hot spots within the book and takes on cooperations who help make us all "fat".

Sure, the program is relatitevly easy and does seem to work--oddly enough, who would think that eating less could contribute to weight loss? But the real reason to read this book is the comments on the weight loss industry. I have to totally agree and say that the diet industry doesn't want any of us any thinner. If they did, wouldn't a few of their diets work?

All in all, this is a good book not only because the program can actually help people to lose weight, but because it might even open a few eyes and ears. Just thinking about all the things that conspire to make us eat more and more makes me sick. Therefore, I am very glad I read this book.

I'm done with dieting for good!!!!!! I can't believe how I've overlooked this common sense approach. I can't beleive how I've been fooled. This book deserves to be right up there with the best of them. It's not gimicky and it's not starvation and it's not eating a million pounds of bacon. It's just good advice to be had. If everyone would stop and open their eyes like this book advises, there would be NO overweight people in America! Time to wake up, everyone! And, no, there is no simple plan in this book, it just tells you to eat what you want but don't gorge!!! That's the problem, we can't stop feeding our faces or having an immese fear of starvation, just like she says. I'm just so glad I found it. I'm serious. If you want to lose weight, like I did, read this book. If you're happy being fat, skip it cause her advice WON'T sit well if you're in denial!!!

The Fit Swimmer in my initial review appears to be an excellent guide to someone willling and able to follow the advice, training programs and tips given in the book. For someone like myself, a super senior (past 75), I appreciate the advice and tips but I am not training for competition but just fitness purposes. I may adapt one of the training programs offered but for now I'll continue my swimming a mile ( freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke mixture) three times a week until I finish the book.

This book is just about everything you will need if you are looking for swimming workouts. It takes you right from the very basics to advanced workouts. It also helps you correct swimming positions. I've already decreased my free style lap time just by making little adjustments. Simply Great!

Swimming is one of those curious beasts of the American athetic sports scene: vast multitudes participate (recreational, summer, competitive, etc.), but very few really know how to improve. As in other sports, many parents wind up coaching as their children get involved in swimming as there are too few coaches available. There is much to learn! Stroke technique, using the clock, training the aerobic and non-aerobic energy systems, how to author and conduct a productive and interesting workout, etc.

To those who might feel intimidated by all this, this book brings help in the form of workout structure. The workouts range from basic beginner to advanced workouts for accomplished swimmers. I have used Marianne's book to keep my workouts (as an age-group coach and Master's swimmer) interesting and my swimmers are always eager to swim.

I highly recommend this book for coaches and swimmers who are self-coached.

Like many triathletes I had a bit of swimming in my background when I started racing, but certainly not enough to be competitive. I occasionally swam with organized groups but my consultant travel schedule made sure that was infrequent. I got a copy of The Fit Swimmer, read it cover to cover and made up about a dozen workouts from the suggested routines. The section on open water racing was particularly valuable. While training diligence was definitely part of it, this book was the #1 resource for me in competitively placing in events ranging from local races to National and Ironman distances. Ms. Brems meets 2 imperatives: she explains things simply and she gives you the tools you need to progress from a relative novice to a competitive swimmer. Like a craftsman and apprentice, she leaves it up to the reader to figure out how to best use the extensive toolset in the book. I found that creating about a dozen workouts on 3x5 cards from her suggested routines and rotating them did the trick (store them in a ziploc bag for use poolside). You can experiment with different routines to test how your body responds. I now coach people on an occasional basis, and strongly encourage each of them to read the book before we start.

This book has really helped me improve and vary my workouts and make the masters swim class I teach more interesting.

Theresa Willingham has done her homework. Compiling this extensive handbook of tips, information, and personal stories certainly took some serious time and effort. But before I get into the details of this guide and cookbook, I do want to point out that this is a gluten-free guide first and foremost.

I think the title of "Food Allergy" may be slightly misleading. It is true that the book is completely wheat-free (one of the top eight allergens), but gluten is the author's primary focus, which is typically a food intolerance and most problematic in autoimmune disorders such as Celiac Disease and Autism. This is not to say that she ignores all other common food allergies, dairy sits right along side gluten, firmly in the passenger seat, making this an excellent GFCF resource. Yet, other allergens are placed in the back seat, getting her attention and mention, but not focus. In fact, while peanut allergies are addressed, I didn't come across any tree nut references.

Theresa's gluten-free focus is understandable, since her son was born with wheat/gluten problem, most likely due to Celiac Disease.

I point this out, because while the recipes are all gluten-free and from what I could tell dairy/casein-free, you do need to read the guide of letters on each recipe to see if they also meet with your free-from needs. Some of the recipes do contain other allergens, and there are some errors in the allergen labeling of the recipes to add a bit more confusion.

There is one other reason I bring mention of the gluten-free nature - many who are concerned with multiple food allergies (or even simply a wheat allergy vs gluten intolerance) are not looking for gluten-free recipes. All of the baking recipes use specialty flours, xanthan gum and other ingredients that may render the recipes less useful (but not useless) for someone who is say dealing with a dairy, egg, and nut allergy combo.

With that commentary out of the way, I did find the reading entertaining. Theresa includes many personal stories, her own and those of other parents of children with allergies / intolerances. She also discusses coping with certain situations, and the basics, such as reading ingredient labels.

What I DO like about the recipes is that they are all relatively simple and appear to be very kid-friendly. Theresa has compiled several of her own recipes as well as recipes from other well-known authors, such as Carol Fenster. As mentioned though, this is a guidebook first, cookbook second ... it is an excellent starting point, with a nice little selection of recipes to inspire. Though you will likely want to seek out some additional cookbooks once you get going.

Overall, I do highly recommend the Food Allergy Field Guide for parents of gluten-free or gluten-free / dairy-free (GFCF) children, but would lean parents of children with multiple food allergies or life-threatening food allergies to the guide: How to Manage Your Child's Life Threatening Food Allergies.

I got this book along with another allergy book when my son was found to have several food allergies. It was helpful. I still look back to it for quick references and I have had it for almost 3 years.

I run a support group for parents of children with food allergies and continuously recommend this book. Resources, contacts, food family listings, nutritional requirements for age groups, recipes, substitutions, supportive stories....it's all in there. A very practical book. A must have!

Developed a sensitivity to dry, mealy food sensivity books? Thirsting for a full-bodied treatment with an effervescent twist? As a mom of three kids, all of whom have food sensitivities, I found Ms. Willingham's book filled us to a healthful brim. We're assimilating her informed, humane, pragmatic support!

I have just finished reading the "Food Allergy Field Guide," A lifestyle manual for families, by Theresa Willingham. I want to let everyone know that if they have a child that is not eating well, or that has growth symptoms that do not seem to be accurately diagnosed by their family pediatrican or doctor, that they should read this book. It will not only save many lives world-wide, but, more importantly, it will allow a great many of the worlds children grow to become healthy, productive young citizens of our country. Ms. Willingham has done an outstanding job of bringing Celiac Disease to our attention. I'd never heard of gluten sensitivity until I read this book, and I am so glad that I did. Congratulations to the author!!!

I gave a copy to my brother, bought one for a friend, I'm reading it myself for the second time, and I just bought 3 more to share.

I just finished reading Dr. Barnard's book and I'm reading it a second time! I found his book informative and explained in easy to understand terms. I think he makes a very good case for reasons not to continue eating a meat-based diet as the effects of a high fat animal diet lead to many of the popular illnesses and diseases we read about today (e.g., diabetes, stroke, heart attack, etc.)

I was not a vegan or vegetarian before reading this book and I know that some reviewers may think there is too much of a vegan agenda, but I would disagree. Plant based diets are a healthy and economical way to live your life. It can be particularly useful if you're trying to lose weight as well as if you are genetically predisposed to certain illnesses by incorporating the new four food groups into your life and possibly preventing or eliminating potential illnesses altogether.

This is an excellent book. It traces out the nutritional roots of many significant diseases. My wife found it in the library while looking for something else, and now we're on our way to becoming vegetarian.

At times it's a little slow reading and occasionally seems a bit repetitious. However, his work is very well documented and there are extensive footnotes to research done in this area.

For an even more significant piece of the puzzle with regard to the roots of disease check out Henry Wright's "A More Excellent Way". He deals with the spiritual roots of disease, which affect us even more pervasively than the nutritional roots. A wholistic view on life demands that we address each dimension.

This was a great book at exposing the dangers of eating meat and dairy. Dr. Barnard's more recent books like Foods That Fight Pain are also highly recommended. A less than 10% fat diet is great for those who want to lose weight and keep it off, but for those who just want to switch to a vegan diet without losing weight, you may want to include a little olive oil or nuts. A little more fat also may help if your skin gets dry. The research on dairy products is shocking, you may wonder why most doctors and nutritionists keep ignoring the negative research on dairy. I have been a vegan for a couple of years now and feel better than ever. Just think of all of the varieties of fresh fruits, vegetables, various whole grains, variety of different beans, and different types of nuts available. Soy products are not necessary(I can't remember the last time I ate soy), so don't hesitate to buy this book based on that. Read the book about info regarding vitamin B-12 and vitamin D. Highly recommended.

I have purchased over a dozen copies of this book for my family and friends, and finally browsed the reviews today and was shocked to see any negative feedback. So for those considering the book, remember the negative reviews were written by meat-lovers that in no way plan to give it up.

I've read at least twenty or so nutrition books and this is my favorite of them all. It's simple to read, easy to understand, and very complete. It encourages a vegeterian diet for the sole purpose of having a healthy life, rather than giving all the statisitics on animal cruelty.

It deconstructs all the myths (i.e. people need tons of protein, and vegetarians do not get enough iron) and gives tons of yummy recipes in addition to informing you of all the nutritional benefits of a plant-based diet.

It reinforces the fact that doctors do not fix you until you are broken. My brother is in med school and I asked him how many nutrition classes he was required to take..... the answer was none. Why not learn how to prevent diseases rather than fix them afterwards? Why eat a meat-based diet, take your cholesterol pill and destroy your liver, when you can avoid eating cholesterol at all? Why eat excessive simple carbohydrates and sugars and rely on an insulin shot every day?

I've bought copies for nearly every member in my family over the past three years, but sadly they don't bother reading it until they are required to take insulin, or they find a lump in their breast, or they find their cholesterol is off the charts. I believe you have a duty to your loved ones to keep your body healthy so you can be here for them as long as possible, and this book can show you how. For more info, look into pcrm.org

Also, my sincerest thank you to Dr. Barnard for caring enough to spend time to teach interested people the proper way to eat.